Butter
by Richan MMI
Summary: What happens when Harry Potter and Remy LeBeau meet in a bar in upstate New York? There's something about Remy's mysterious new friend that makes him feel safe.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Butter  
Author: Richan  
Spoilers: thru HBP for HP, AU thru X-Men United (with a bit of history from the comics) for X-Men  
Warnings: profanity  
Summary: What happens when Harry Potter and Remy LeBeau meet in a bar in upstate New York? There's something about Remy's mysterious new friend that makes him feel safe.  
AN: This has been in the back of my mind for a while, when I learned they were filming the third X-men film. Of course, they didn't put one of my favorite X-Men in the film, so I decided that I would finally put this down on paper - well, figuratively. I am NOT attempting to write Remy's accent. This story is complete. Each chapter will be put up when it comes back from the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP or X-Men. That would be JK Rowling and Marvel Comics respectively.

Part 1

* * *

The bar was dimly lit and there was the restless murmur of its other occupants as Remy waited for Rogue to appear. He had been waiting over an hour for her, and it looked like she wasn't going to show - making him wonder if she cared enough anymore. He had wanted to spend a little time alone with her while he had the chance, but it was becoming more and more obvious that she didn't want to try. 

While he had been waiting, he had been watching the others here in this bar, seeing many of the local residents quietly talking to each other, or watching the local college football team game on the many televisions. However, it was the lone person in the back corner that had occupied most of his attention, when it hadn't been on the door on the lookout for Rogue.

The man was seated in the booth farthest from the door, nursing a drink that looked like the liquid was at the same level when he'd first spotted him. From what he could see, the stranger had dark hair and light eyes, but he couldn't define much more than that in the semi-darkness most bars thought required.

Now that his 'date' wasn't going to show, he wanted to find out more about the stranger who had decided to sit in this small-town bar on a Saturday night. He nodded at the bartender as he passed, picking up another beer, the glass neck cool against his hand. Weaving his way through the tables, he slowed down as he approached the stranger. There was a feeling that moved across his skin, almost making him want to turn around and go back to his table, but he ignored it.

Of course, sometimes his curiosity-killed-the-cat nosiness got him into a lot of trouble.

"Hello, mon ami," he greeted the stranger as he stopped at the edge of the booth. "Mind if I sit here? You looked like you could use some company."

He mentally stepped back when the man raised his face up to look at him. He had never seen such green eyes before, even if he had seen the look in them in his own mirror at one point or another. Still, he was determined to find out just who this stranger was.

Holding out his hand, he said, "My friends call me Remy, Remy LeBeau, while my enemies usually call me a wily bastard."

The green eyes narrowed, but otherwise the man didn't move. There was enough tension in the set of his shoulders to give Remy an indication that this man was dangerous if you got on his bad side. Still, he stood there for a minute as he continued to hold out his hand, waiting for the man to take it.

Finally, he began to drop it when it didn't look like the stranger was going to take it. "Sorry," he started to apologize.

The green eyes blinked, and there was a bit of life that appeared on the man's face. It was almost as if he hadn't been aware of Remy even standing there. The man shook his head slightly before unwrapping his hand from around his drink, taking Remy's hand in his.

There was a tingle that ran up Remy's arm and down his spine. It reminded him of the first time he shook Xavier's hand - there was a sense of great power in the green-eyed man's handshake that spoke volumes. And it intrigued him all the more because of it.

Remy smiled his most charming smile, the one that could get any of the females that roamed the school to forgive him. "Let's start over again, shall we?"

"It's Harry," the man said in a baritone voice. There was also a bit of an accent, intriguing him all the more for its foreignness.

"Remy."

When he said his name this time, the other man startled.

"Is Remy short for anything?" Harry asked. This time, Remy could distinguish that he was English.

Remy shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of." When Harry relaxed, he sat in the other side of the table of the booth. The beer bottle rattled as he set it down and he almost knocked it over as he overcorrected it. Harry's hand met his on the bottle in a lightning-quick motion that Remy was impressed with.

"Thanks, mon ami," he said in an absent-minded manner, thinking about the fact that he'd felt that tingling again.

"Mon ami?" Harry asked, one eyebrow raised.

Remy shrugged. "I'm from New Orleans."

Harry stared at him. "So, what are you doing in New York?"

"Probably the same thing you're here for," Remy responded, trying to see how this stranger reacted.

Harry raised his glass and threw the contents down his throat, signaling to the passing waitress for another, despite the fact that he hadn't touched it before now. The green eyes looked at him with such intensity that Remy knew he had better back off.

Besides, the waitress had brought two drinks.

* * *

Remy pried one eye open to find one of the kids staring at him. It was one of the smaller kids, so he didn't know who it was. 

"What are you doing out here?"

He twisted his head towards the scandalized voice and winced at the movement. He knew that voice, but he really wished she wasn't so loud.

"Remy LeBeau, how could you bring a stranger back from town?" the scolding voice asked, a little bit closer to his aching head.

"Rogue." It was a familiar voice that could probably pull even the most desperate person back from the brink of suicide. Mostly, Remy was grateful that it had shut up the woman. "Please escort the children to their classes. I believe the first bell is about to ring."

The bell went off a second later. Remy wanted to curl up into a ball, but there was a strange weight along his right hip and leg. Then it suddenly hit him that there weren't classes on Sunday, even though the last he'd known was that it was Saturday.

Remy opened his eyes once more, determined not to let a little of the late-summer daylight interfere with his curiosity/dread of finding out what happened. He was lying on the ground that sloped down from the basketball court to the small parking lot. There was a strange motorcycle parked there at the bottom, though it was the sight of a strange man laying against him that really caught his attention.

Saturday night came rushing back to him. Then Sunday hit him and his cheeks flushed. He swore at that moment in time that he would never drink any alcohol that had the word 'fire' in it.

He turned his head to find the professor watching him with a blank look, so he couldn't tell if he was disappointed or anything else with Remy. Of course, the professor was usually not very happy with Remy's personal habits in the first place.

"Merlin! What in the world happened?" Harry's British accent was clear, and it sounded to Remy as if he didn't have a hangover either. It was the bastard's own whiskey why there were sprawled on the front lawn of a school for mutants.

His side felt cold as Harry sat up. Remy took this time to reflect that he'd never seen such terrible bedhead before. And that he missed the tingling feeling he got when Harry touched him - and he wasn't being pervy either.

"Hello," came the professor's voice, startling both Remy and Harry. Remy looked to find the professor sitting a few feet away in his everyday chair, the sun slightly reflecting off of his bald head. There was a hint of melancholy in his eyes. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my School for Gifted Children."

Harry's body tensed for a short second, but Remy knew the Professor had also caught it. The green-eyed man turned to look at him before turning to the wheelchair-bound man. There was a weariness in those eyes, though it wasn't the fear or horror he'd seen in some people's expressions.

"Would you like to come in and refresh yourself?" the professor asked. "I believe that, judging by the length you were out with Mr. LeBeau, that a shower would not be unwelcome."

The green eyes looked back at Remy before Harry hesitantly nodded. "Will my bike be all right where it is, or shall I move it?"

Remy chuckled, then winced as the sound reverberated through his skull. "It could probably stay there if you don't mind fingerprints on it."

"No!"

The shout startled all three of them. Then Harry shook his head.

"I'm sorry. It's better if no one touches it, as there are... defenses... built into it."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the professor nod. Remy himself was staring at his... new friend. He had ridden on that thing drunk off his ass? He was impressed that he hadn't hurt himself or anything else whether it was pushing a button or using his own powers. Though it did make him wonder just what powers Harry possessed.

"I will have Scott take care of it, then. He is one of our instructors and a motorcycle enthusiast."

There was a release of some tension in Harry's posture as he relented, although there was quite a bit left.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I apologize for taking so long! I was having some serious computer issues this weekend and it didn't get fixed until just before I left for work this morning.

This will not be slash OR a het pairing. The only pair in this is the brief mention of Gambit/Rogue in the first and this chapter. I hope that you like this chapter as much as the first.

* * *

Part 2 

An hour later, Remy felt much better. It was amazing just how good a shower and shave could feel - especially after one has taken Wolverine's hangover cure. That stuff was noxious enough to kill an elephant, let alone a hangover.

As he made his way down the stairs, he found Rogue glaring up at him from the bottom. In spite of everything else that may have happened between them, she was still beautiful. At that moment, though, he knew that they weren't going to be able to go back to where they once were. Too much - or too little - had gone on lately, their 'date' from Saturday night notwithstanding.

"He could be dangerous," she hissed at him, stopping Remy on the last stair.

He stared at Rogue. "How could he be? First, he's not American, so it's not likely that he knows anyone out to 'get the mutants.' Second, I think he is a mutant, because he has power. And before you say anything, me petite, I don't think he is dark enough to be one of Magneto's Brotherhood."

She impatiently swept the white stripe of her hair behind her ear before pointing down the long corridor. There, at the very end, Remy could make out the figures of the professor and their guest. "He's been with Xavier all of the time since you came in. He never left the office, but he looks like he just stepped out of the shower. I've been watching - "

" - Because it's my fault he's here?" Remy sarcastically asked.

" - Because I don't trust him." She glared at him even harder. "This isn't the first time that someone has brought somebody back here who looks nice, but all of them wanted us to either die or disappear."

"What if I'm the one who wanted to disappear?" Harry's voice called to them not that far away.

Remy turned to find the two men less than ten feet away. For once, the disappointed look on the professor's face wasn't directed at him and was at one of the favored X-Men. Then he looked at Harry and was startled to see just how _young_ the man was.

At the bar, the light had obscured most of his facial features. Only his eyes had stood out. Of course, green eyes like those were rare, but the look in them was even more so. The look was what made Remy supposed that Harry was around his own age.

Those green eyes, once again catching his curiosity, were set in a pale, drawn face. It was as if he hadn't slept in a month, not just a couple of days, without the aide of alcohol. He had the smooth cheeks of one who doesn't have to shave very often, despite his dark hair. Even if Rogue was correct about him having cleaned up, his hair was a considerable mess. Thick chunks of black hair stuck out in various directions, and there were quite a few strands that glinted of silver in the midday sun streaming through the windows.

He was fairly short for a man, and one of the skinniest people Remy had seen outside of those with eating disorders. Though he didn't think that Harry suffered from one of them, considering just how many wings the two men had ordered at the bar, and there was a faint memory of hitting up the local taco restaurant yesterday afternoon before they had gone back to Harry's hotel room to sample his whiskey.

However, it was Harry's stance that said something about his maturity rather than his age. The green eyed man reminded Remy of a soldier coming home from a long war - exhausted and elated all at once.

"Mr. Potter will be staying here for the next month helping some of our younger students who can transmute objects."

Remy blinked at that, since Harry hadn't ever said his last name. With that little bit of information, though, he knew that his new friend had to be a mutant. There was no way he could be a 'normal' human with the amount of power that flowed across his skin. Besides, he had been wondering about his new friend's motorcycle, trying to figure out just how dangerous it was. If Harry was able to transmute things, then it was possible that his weapons had been molded to fit into the actual shape of the bike.

"Professor?"

The four of them looked down the hallway, where Storm was heading for them. Remy noticed that she had cut her hair short again, which seemed to emphasize the elegant cheekbones and made her brown eyes seem even bigger than they really were. With her was one of the youngest students, a boy he remembered seeing having one-on-one sessions with the professor.

The boy stopped about fifteen feet from them and stared at Harry. It wasn't only that which caught Remy's attention, but the expression on the boy's face - adoration. That was rather strange in a man that the boy had never seen before.

"He - hello, Mr. Potter," the boy said hesitantly as Storm talked quietly to the professor. "I read about what you did in the Gazette this summer. My mom's family came over from England after the last war, an' she was cryin' when she heard about it."

Harry crouched down to look in the boy's eyes. "What's your name?"

"Colin Smith. My mom was a Bones before she married my dad. My grandfather was Edgar Bones."

Harry nodded at this, although he looked both curious and weary about the entire conversation. "I was told that the only Bones to survive both wars was Susan."

Colin shrugged. "My mom was a squib, and she was sent away right away."

A look of understanding crossed Harry's face, even though Remy was terribly confused at the strange word. The last he knew, a squib was a bird. Or maybe that was a squab. As long as it was braised in a lovely sauce, he didn't care what kind of bird he was eating.

"Why didn't you go to school in Salem, then?"

Colin's face drooped. "Because I don't... you know. But I can do this!" He held up his hand, which suddenly burst into flames. Then his hair turned pink and the boy blushed, his hand going back to normal skin. "I don't know why it does that, though."

Harry chuckled. "I might have an idea, but I'll need to talk to a couple of my friends - one of which includes Susan, who would be your first cousin once removed, I believe."

Remy had almost forgotten that Rogue had been standing there as well - considering they'd been sleeping together two weeks ago, well, sharing a bed - when she interrupted. "Excuse me, but you come over here sounding so posh and talking about all of these people. How do we know that you're not just another spy for the government?"

"Because he is not," the professor answered.

"He's a mutant," Remy said.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not."

"But, you have power," Remy stated.

The green-eyed man gave a derisive laugh. "I have power, but I'm not mutant."

"What can you do?" Rogue demanded to know.

Harry's eyes locked onto Remy's for a brief moment before he vanished and reappeared behind Colin. Then he turned into a beautiful cat, although it was too quick for even Remy's eyes to catch what kind. Harry then took out a stick with a glossy coat of varnish on it and pointed it at Colin, who suddenly began laughing.

"Tickling Hex," Harry commented.

"What are you?" Storm asked at the display.

"He's a wizard," Colin breathlessly between his laughter. "He's only the greatest wizard 'cause he just beat the worst Dark Lord that ever was."

Harry pat his hand on the boy's shoulder, and he suddenly stopped shaking with laughter. There was such a sad look on the green-eyed man's face that Remy felt his heart clench a little at it when Harry looked him straight in the eyes.

"I don't think he was the worst ever, but I did defeat him."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thanks to all that have reviewed so far! I hope that most of your questions are answered in this chapter, for a couple of them, it will have to wait until chapter 4. There are only 5 parts to this story, so it's relatively short.

* * *

Part 3 

Remy was glad to finally get home. While it had been nice to be in Italy, there was something about upstate New York that had grown on him. Of course, nothing could beat New Orleans, since there was nothing like a stroll through the French Quarter that made him nostalgic.

He was also glad to get away from Jubilee, who was trying to get him back with Rogue. The younger woman was too bubbly for him - like an extra-fizzy champagne as it went up your nose. Besides, he really didn't want to be cooped up in the catacombs beneath Rome when it was early fall, because they were musty. Plus, the sun had glinted off the Mediterranean Sea when they had flown over, giving the water a serene aqua color that made him, surprisingly, think of his new friend's eyes.

"Hey, Gambit!" Jubilee shouted as she stepped out of the X-Wing. "Maybe we could go see Rogue now!"

"Actually, he promised to spend some time with me before I left," came a British voice behind Remy.

He turned to find a much healthier Harry standing in the October sun. The younger man looked his age, instead of the world-weary man from a month ago. He was also surrounded by a bevy of rugrats, one of which was settled on his hip. They were the littlest of the students, ranging from three to six - the ones left at an orphanage or outright abandoned on the streets because of their powers.

"Hello, mon ami," Remy greeted. He swung his bag over his shoulder and turned as Harry began walking toward the school. "Are you here for much longer?"

Harry shook his head. "A couple of days. Then I need to return to London for a bit."

"He got a letter from an owl!" the little girl in Harry's arms volunteered. "It was pretty and white and Harry let us pet it!"

Remy raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "An owl?"

Harry grinned. "My owl, Hedwig. She was my first ever birthday present, and I got it from a half-giant."

The children giggled, with several of them calling out, "Hagrid!"

He looked at the green-eyed man with suspicion. "A half-giant."

"Yes." Harry's grin widened. "His father was human, but his mother was a giant. Hagrid's about nine feet tall, while his half-brother, Grawp, is a good twenty feet tall. Mind you that Grawp's considered a runt in the giant community."

Remy laughed but quickly stopped when he saw that Harry was serious.

They entered the building and Harry sent the children off to their next class. When they were down the hall, Harry guided Remy into one of the parlors used for the children to talk to their parents.

"Would you like to go with me? At least for a week?"

Remy stepped back in surprise. He blinked a couple of times before he focused on Harry. He saw that his friend wore a hopeful look on his face even as the rest of his body seemed tense. "Me?"

Harry shrugged. "Why not you? Charles was telling me that you've spent some time in London, and I need someone familiar with the city. Plus, you were the first person I met here."

His eyes widened at Harry's use of the professor's name. Many of those who had been X-Men for years didn't even use his last name. And while he was flattered at the invitation, Remy didn't think he could accept.

* * *

It was amazing how long seven days could feel. That was how long since Harry had left, and Remy was regretting turning down his invite to go to London. Harry may not have been around for very long, but he had made such an impact on everyone that the entire school seemed to be as depressed as he was. 

The last day that Harry had been here, several of the adults had thrown him a small party. Remy knew most of them only wanted an excuse to drink alcohol, but there were a few who had grown genuinely fond of the green-eyed man with the fantastical stories. Remy had found himself missing the young man before the party had ended, when Harry had brought out his last bottle of firewhiskey. It wasn't because of the alcohol - no, he was never going to ever touch the stuff - but because he had formed a camaraderie with the younger man that he'd only ever felt with his adoptive father.

He felt strange, missing a person that he hadn't known for very long. Remy hadn't ever felt a connection like this in his life, having taken years to develop trust with even those closest to him. And then this strange young man suddenly appears in his life, and it's as if they had grown up together. There was an odd connection between them, as if they'd both grown up under difficult situations. As much as Remy had hated running around the streets of 'Nawlins,' he'd found a family that would accept him for as he was. It felt like that with Harry, despite never knowing his history.

Added to that, Remy had the feeling that Harry was much more powerful than he presented. It was only a feeling, but it seemed as if the younger man was constantly - and consciously - holding back his power.

The only time he'd ever felt anything like it was when he was a child. He'd wandered off into a dark alley, only to emerge in a strange street that was from another century. Remy hadn't been there very long before he was hustled back into the alley, but the man who had done so had felt like this. That man had been older, and the one thing that he could remember about him was that he'd had a long beard, white mixed with a dark brown.

He wasn't the only one who was attached to Harry. The children that he had taught had wanted to go with Harry. Even now, Remy suspected they were plotting to hunt down their new teacher.

Here he was, sitting in one of the Saturday-abandoned classrooms, looking out the window at the trees as they lost their leaves in droves. The wind scattered them about, and every once in a while there was a little dance of the red, gold, and green foliage that was if choreographed. The weather had been like this since Harry had left, making Remy a little more depressed than he would have been if the sun had been shining.

Something white flew into his line of sight, and Remy was startled to find a white owl flying towards him. It hovered in front of the window and blinked at him with amber eyes. He cautiously opened the window, hoping that this really was Harry's owl and not one of Beast's crazy experiments. He then saw a heavy, cream-colored paper with an old-fashioned wax seal.

There was a stylized 'P' embedded in the red wax, with a lightning bolt behind it, reminiscent of the faded scar on Harry's forehead. The paper itself was a strange texture, and really didn't feel like paper at all. The letter was, however, imbued with the essence that was Harry.

_Dear Remy, __  
__My business here in London is almost wrapped up, but I won't be coming back just yet. I will  
be going up to Scotland for a couple of weeks to help one of my professors. Several parts of  
the school are unusable at the moment, and she is afraid that some of the more curious  
students will try to explore them. I estimate that it will take three to four week for all of us to  
do the repairs. _  
_Please let Charles know that I have sent him a letter as well with another owl. I suspect,  
though, that Hedwig will be much faster. _  
_Also, please give Hedwig some water? She is able to find her own food, but I don't trust most  
water sources this side of the Atlantic. _  
_Harry _  
_PS If you find yourself in need to contact me, all you have to do is find an owl and tell it that  
you need to send a letter to me._

The gloomy weather suddenly seemed more palatable with the letter. He hurried to get the hovering owl a bowl of water and went off to his rooms, thinking that he didn't need the sun to make his day complete.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I apologize for the delay. My computer was really acting up - enough that I was tempted to solve the problem the old-fashioned way: a sledgehammer.

Thanks for all the reviews. They are wonderful.

_

* * *

_Part 4 

There was a definite nip in the air as Remy sat outside. His long coat protected him from most of the wind, although a gust sometimes made its way under the bottom hem. He'd rather be out here than inside, where everyone was yelling at the football game on the television - one of the fall Sunday traditions of the school. It had been bad enough when they had been seated at dinner, when everyone's chatter had given him a headache.

"Hey, stranger."

Remy almost gave himself a case of whiplash when he turned towards the familiar voice. The tension from earlier today left his body as he spotted Harry walking in his direction, his white owl perched on his right shoulder. He was accompanied by a gray-haired man, who was walking with a severe limp and aided by a cane.

"Harry!" Remy greeted. As they grew closer, he saw that the other man wasn't as old as he had thought. He wasn't all that much older than Remy himself. What was strange about the man was that he was wearing a cloak over his clothes, the part widening ever so slightly with each step.

Then he looked at his friend, and found that his face was drawn and his cheekbones seemed much more prominent than Remy remembered. That last day before he had left, Harry had been the picture of health with a nice glow to his face. Obviously, the time spent in England hadn't been a pleasure cruise despite everything Harry had said about it.

The two men stopped a few feet away as Remy stood.

Harry turned to the man beside him. "Remus Lupin, I'd like you to meet Remy LeBeau."

All of a sudden, Harry's talk of his name flashed through his mind. Now he understood all of the references that had had Harry laughing. And it also had him wondering if there was a special significance to the name. The man's amber colored eyes brought to mind a wolf. Harry was worth protecting, so how well did the man named Remus Lupin do his job?

His friend looked at him. "Remy, this is Remus Lupin, my Godfather."

Lupin stuck his hand out after switching the cane into his left one. The back was covered in an odd pattern of faded scars. "Nice to meet you," he said in an accent much like Harry's. "I've heard much about you as I traveled with Harry."

"Likewise," Remy said, taking the man's hand in a firm grip. Like with Harry, he felt the tingle of power, although it was a bit different. There was a hint of the wild in the man's magic, he guessed.

"Remus is staying the night before he continues on to Salem, where he will be teaching."

Remy looked at the man in question. "What do you teach?"

Lupin looked at Harry, who nodded. "I teach Defense."

He almost laughed at the idea before he remembered Harry had called his favorite class 'defense.' "What do you defend against?" he asked, his curiosity growing from his memories of talking with Harry.

"The Dark."

He could hear the capital letter in the word, and it made Magneto seem as though a child against the horrors of Harry's world. Remy had the thought that the scars both of them wore were tied into it. Though he wasn't about to ask for their sources.

Instead, he walked back into the school with the two men, talking quietly with Harry about the invitation that the professor had extended to Harry to teach some basic wizarding classes at the school for those too young to be sent to the school where Lupin would be teaching.

"Charles thought it would be a good idea for Remus to meet with some of the teachers here, so that they could get an idea of what to look for. The Wizarding world does have a college here in the US for those who either chose not to go to one of the secondary schools, or those whose magic showed up late. It's more common here in the US, where people are a bit more integrated," Harry was saying as they stopped just outside of the large den where the Sunday football crew was still watching the game.

Ever since Harry had come into his life, Remy had the feeling that things were not going to be the same. This just confirmed it. He had always thought the school was a bit too isolated, and several alumni refused to have anything to do with those who weren't mutants.

His thoughts were interrupted as they walked into the den, where Remy was treated to the sight of Harry being mobbed by the children he had taught, running from the small play area in the back of the room. They jumped and ran around him like an elephant dancing around a mouse - only thirty times more excited. Several of the other children followed more slowly, with one of them shyly greeting Lupin. Remy knew her to be one of Harry's kind, having felt her power once he had become familiar with Harry's own. The reason why she was here and not with them was that she had the ability to fly without aid - a phenomenon that was apparently not possible in Harry's world.

The professor came in soon after they had, with Beast behind him. The blue-furred man stopped just inside the door, and Remy could tell that he was sniffing the air. Beast then looked at Lupin and snarled, the sound startling everyone in the room as the normally placid man sprung into action. He leapt at the man, only to be stopped in mid-air.

Harry had moved so fast to stand in front of Lupin that Remy hadn't seen him do so. Lupin himself was crouched in a defensive pose, cane still falling to the floor as he raised a stick about a foot long in front of him. Harry did not have a stick, but was holding out his hand, fingers spread open and palm pointed at the immobile Beast.

"He is not an enemy," Harry commanded. There was power in his voice. Remy saw that everyone in the room had frozen into place, and the television's sound was muted in a way that spoke of the remote having never been used.

"Then why does he smell like an animal?" Beast snarled out, although it was if he'd gotten molasses stuck in his teeth.

"I am a werewolf," Lupin calmly said as he lowered wand. "I take a potion that makes me safe on the night of the full moon, which is two weeks away."

The girl standing next to Lupin tugged on his cloak. "My brother's one, too. He goes to Salem."

Lupin eyed Beast before bending down and whispering something in her ear. By the time he was done, the blue-furred mutant was looking contrite, most likely having heard the whispers.

"I apologize if I have frightened anyone," Beast slowly said as an obviously reluctant Harry lowered him down to the floor. "And I also apologize, Mr. - "

"Lupin," Harry supplied in a cold voice.

" - Mr. Lupin, for taking you as a threat. I don't normally do such a thing for new acquaintances."

Harry was glowering at Beast as Lupin nodded his acknowledgement.

It was at that moment that Remy knew his friend could be a dangerous enemy if he was defending one of his own.

* * *

Remy was very grateful that quite a bit of the students had left for their homes for the Christmas holiday. He didn't mind the holiday, but the squealing and hyper kids impatiently waiting to open presents drove him up a wall. He was also a little jealous, having grown up without presents for Christmas for years. By the time he'd met up with his adoptive father, he had been too old mentally to be all that enthused about presents. 

He looked over the courtyard, where Harry was helping the little ones who had nowhere else to go build a snow fort. They were the children that his friend felt most comfortable, and if Remy had to admit it, he was that way also. The little ones were usually the ones who had the least amount of prejudice when they came here and accepted the out-of-the-ordinary much better.

Childish laughter rang out over the snow-covered landscape as the children ganged up on Harry to dump snow on him. His friend reminded Remy of a disgruntled hedgehog as Harry pulled himself out of the snow and chased several of the older boys around the half-formed fort. From there, the small gathering dissolved into a raucous snowball fight that Remy was tempted to join in.

The feeling that they were being watched kept him from it.

"A new addition to the X-Men, then?"

Remy knew the gravelly voice almost as well as the professor's. His hands clenched at the idea of Magneto having just walked onto the school grounds without being noticed by anyone. His own paranoia had been tempered with the idea of childish fun.

"So, who's this, then?" Harry asked as he suddenly appeared slightly in front Remy, although facing the tree line in the opposite direction.

Remy slowly turned around to find Magneto dressed in his usual outfit, with a multitude of his mutant followers behind him. A part of Remy's mind found the entire situation to be a bit clichéd, although the rest of him was desperately trying to warn the professor as loudly as it could.

Magneto stepped forward, heading directly at Harry.

"I am Magneto," he said in a charming voice. Remy recognized that voice, having almost been fully swayed by it. Only his own agenda had kept him from fully joining Magneto; it had also had stopped him from doing something he would have regretted.


	5. Chapter 5

Ack! I'm so terribly sorry about the long wait! My computer died.

Anyway, here is the last part of 'Butter.'

* * *

Part 5 

A horrifying thought flashed through his mind - this crowd was too big to be anything other than Magneto attempting to take over the school once and for all.

There was a soft sound in the back of his mind, as if his plea to the professor had been answered. Then he realized it was Harry. A tiny part of him was curious about just how powerful Harry was. For the most part, though, he was nervous facing so many of Magneto's Brotherhood with just the two of them and a handful of children.

"What do you want?" Remy demanded of Magneto.

"I just wanted to welcome the newest of Charles' X-Men," the metal-working mutant suavely said. He was looking at Harry, who was still facing Remy. "He's not particularly tall, is he?"

"You must be the same Magneto that I've heard so much about." Harry was suddenly turned away from Remy with his hand out as if to shake hands. There was an odd tone to his voice, as if he were another person.

Magneto stepped back slightly; a half step that sent ripples through those behind him. Remy was watching Mystique as she looked to Magneto in confusion. She was usually the best indicator as to how aggressive her leader would be. If she wasn't sure of what to do, there may be enough time for the others to get here - and they _were_ coming.

The leader of the Brotherhood seemed to regain his composure. "Judging by the accent, I would have to say that you must be one of Charles' associates from England."

Harry laughed, sending shivers down Remy's spine. It wasn't a nice laugh at all.

"No. I am not one of his 'associates.' I am here to teach some special children that they couldn't find otherwise."

It was at this point that Remy noticed one of the children had followed Harry. All of four, Billy was now clutching Harry's leg with one hand as his other hand was planted on his chin and the thumb firmly in his mouth.

"Child sitting?" Magneto asked with a laugh. "You are hardly out of childhood yourself - you must be directly out of school. If you aren't one of Charles' students, then where did you go?"

"Hogwarts."

The name was said as if he was easily conversing with friends, rather than a megalomaniac that seemed intent on making his own little world of mutants. Yet at the same time, Remy could feel the power in those two syllables. He watched as that power sent waves through the ranks, with a couple of people moving restlessly. The thought that wizards would also be attracted to Magneto had never crossed his mind, but he wasn't all that surprised that they _would._

"Are you Harry Potter?" a voice called from halfway back. "You have green eyes, just like him." The young woman stepped forward as she finished talking. She still stood behind Magneto, but she wore a cloak similar to Lupin's, as Remy had seen him a month ago. Remy didn't recognize her, but that didn't mean she was new to Magneto's cause.

"Get back, Lightning," Mystique hissed.

"No," Magneto intoned. "Let us hear what she has to say."

"Did you really kill Voldemort and his army by yourself?"

There was another rustle through the ranks, although this one smelled of fear. And Remy's sense of smell was as normal as the next person's. He looked at Harry, who had a wary set to his face. The look changed to resignation after a brief moment.

"I had help."

Magneto looked impressed. "Would you do so again - "

"Never!" Harry's shout startled Remy, even though he had known it was coming. From the little they had talked about this, he knew his friend was adamant that he would never again take a life.

"It was either myself or him. If he hadn't been such a bastard and linked his followers to his own powers, they wouldn't have died. I would rather have seen them in Azkaban to rot than dead."

The boy clinging to Harry tugged on his pants. The young man lifted him in a smooth motion with his left arm, leaving his right hand free.

"Is there a problem, Eric?" the Professor's voice called as Nightcrawler popped him into sight beside Harry.

"I was meeting your new X-Man, Charles."

The Professor chuckled. "He is not a mutant, Eric. He is not one of my X-Men, although I wish he would reconsider my offer."

"What are you then?" Magneto asked, his frustration with his rapidly diminishing control apparent.

"He is a wizard," the mutant named Lightning answered for Harry. "He is considered to be the greatest wizard of the age. According to the Salem Gazette, he has enough power to wipe us out with a single spell."

The child in Harry's arms whimpered. He laid a hand on Billy's arm, who visibly calmed. Harry, on the other hand, looked extremely upset. If he didn't know better, Remy would say that he was glowing with anger.

"I would never do such a thing!" Harry whispered vehemently. "Never!"

"Why not?" Lightning challenged. "Muggle humans would destroy the wizarding world, just like they want to rid the world of us mutants."

"Because it's wrong." Harry was glaring at her, making her shrink back into the fold. "By doing that, I would become like Voldemort or the politicians that persecute mutants. I suppose that I could blow up the entire planet, then, to solve the problem. But until _you_ can come to a non-combative solution, and _wizards_ learn to embrace muggles, I will stay out of the entire thing." Harry looked down at the boy in his arms, then back up at Magneto with a fierce stare.

"I suggest you take your friends and figure out a different way to bring 'normal' humans around. After all, we all are still human. What difference does one gene make? Show those that don't have the x-gene that there doesn't need to be a difference." Harry turned and looked at Remy before shifting Billy onto his other hip. "Let's go up to the school and get some hot chocolate into you. Doesn't that sound much better than talking to the grown-ups?"

The boy nodded and the two headed up to the school, the other children following them without one of them looking back. Remy glanced at the other X-Men before taking off after Harry, catching up with the younger man with a swift pace. Once he was walking side by side with his friend, he offered what he hoped to be a comforting smile.

Harry tentatively smiled back, then suddenly stopped. He then pushed Billy into Remy's arms and disappeared without a sound.

Remy looked back at the almost-conflict at the edge of the woods, somehow knowing that Harry had gone back. He stayed where he was, waiting for his friend. Thirty seconds later, Harry reappeared in front of him and calmly plucked Billy out of his arms and continued on up to the school.

"What happened?" Remy finally asked once the children were seated in the kitchen with hot beverages.

"Butterbeer?" Harry offered. "It tastes like butterscotch."

"Sure." He watched the younger man as he took a sip out of the glass bottle. His eyes widened as the smooth drink slid down his throat. He was more impressed by this drink than he was by the firewhiskey, especially as it wouldn't get him drunk. Remy would have to visit the 'wizarding world' in Salem when given the chance, just to check out what other things they had. As long as they didn't get into the voodoo Tante had warned him about, he was fine with it.

"Good, isn't it?" Harry asked with a grin. He sat down next to Remy and took a long drink out of his own bottle of butterbeer. When he was done, he sighed heavily. "Magneto was thinking very bad thoughts very loudly. That's why I had to go back."

Remy stared at Harry, not really sure if he was astonished or bewildered at the statement.

"What?"

"You have got to be kidding."

Harry looked confused. "Why would you say that?"

He shook his head in wonder. "Harry, Magneto doesn't wear that helmet for looks. It's his shield against the Professor's psychic powers."

The younger man wore a stunned look, which quickly turned thoughtful. "It doesn't shield against magic, then," he said before taking another slow drink of his butterbeer. "It was as if he was shouting and taunting Charles at the same time. It was loud enough to poke through _my_ shields - although I haven't exactly kept them up as well as I should have, being out here. On the other hand, those are against magical attacks, and this certainly wasn't."

Remy shook his head again at his friend's explanation. He didn't think that Harry had any concept of just how hard it was for the professor to get any clue as to what Magneto was up to. The only thing that kept the X-Men up with the Brotherhood was the fact that their leaders had once been friends. His friend had power, but he was obviously reluctant to use it. To calmly face Magneto and the Brotherhood without even intending to use his powers was mind-bending. And Harry hadn't a clue about the entire thing.

"It's like a hot knife through butter," Remy muttered to himself.

"What?" Harry asked as he turned back from watching the children.

Remy shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "I'm only thinking out loud."

Harry grinned. "Do that much, do you?"

He snorted. "No, I don't."

"Because you don't think much, then?"

He opened his mouth to say a nasty retort before he saw the teasing look on the younger man's face. "Oh, I do. But I think on a much higher lever that you; playing with those kids all day long must make you feel right at home."

Harry looked at the children again before turning back to Remy with a serious face. "I do feel at home - more so that I've ever felt before."

Remy was kicking himself for saying what he did, but it was still nice to hear that Harry considered this home. He was always half-afraid that the younger man would leave them and return to England. It was a comfort to know that, even if he did, there would always be a piece of him here.

* * *

Epilogue - _five years later_

Remy tried to hold back his laughter as long as he could, but it didn't last long at the sight in front of him. After all, who wouldn't find it funny to watch Harry trying to teach the wizard-mutants how to fly on brooms? The young children were all shouting for Harry's attention as they flew around him, all of them using their various mutant abilities to hold the others back.

"Enough!" Harry roared, sweeping his hand out across his body. As his hand went by each child, they froze where they were, no matter if they were on the ground or twelve feet in the air. Those in the air slowly floated down to the ground in front of Harry, with those already on the earth moving to join them.

"Flying lessons are suspended until you _want_ to listen to what I say. While you were doing... whatever you were just doing, no one was noticing the damage you were causing. When I let you go, all of you will look around and see what you have done. Then you will help clean up this mess before apologizing to the professor."

As Harry let the children go, Remy saw the sadness on their faces in the wake of Harry's disappointment in their behavior. It wasn't a surprise to Remy that the children didn't protest their punishment. Harry wasn't the most popular teacher at the Institute for nothing, whether his students were wizard, witch, or mutant. All of his students tried their best to please him, which, in turn, pleased Harry.

Late last year, Remy had had the opportunity to see Remus Lupin at work teaching. He had gone up with Harry to Salem for some shopping, and they had stopped by the school there for the younger man to talk to his mentor. Lupin's methods were the same ones that Harry used, and both of them taught in such a way as to inspire their students to learn, rather than to be told what to learn. It was unique that they had the gift, and it wasn't because of their magic.

None of their students would ever know the full truth behind the troubles in their pasts - or, indeed, of any of the teachers they had at the Institute or the wizarding school. Magneto's Brotherhood had gone quietly underground since the confrontation with Harry. Instead, several of them had joined political groups that worked with the government for change. Although it wasn't every one of them - more than a few caused trouble every couple of months. And from what he had heard of Harry's former world, one of his friends had been instrumental in advocating more tolerant policies, but not enough to tempt Harry back.

Remy shook his head of his wandering thoughts and turned his attention back to the present. Harry was helping the littlest child, a seven-year-old girl named Frankie, pick up some scattered papers. The younger man usually ended up feeling bad about having to discipline one of his students. _That_ typically ended with the two of them joining Logan - aka Wolverine - at the bar.

As long as it wasn't for firewhiskey, Remy was fine with that.

Fin.


End file.
